This Slow Cooker Sausage and White Bean Cassoulet is an easy twist on a french classic! Made with tasty sausage, creamy white beans and hearty veggies, what’s no to like?!
[Recipe Updated 5/31/18]
Do you have a slow cooker? I mysteriously own two! Completely unnecessary I know. And yet I still sometimes forget to use these 2 dear old friends. Although both slow cookers are the same technically, I do have a favorite among the two.
Let’s call Monsieur Slow Cooker #1 my fav. He has a fancy timer, a lid holder and neat settings. Monsieur Slow Cooker #2 is way more basic. Both quietly sit in our basement and I mainly bust them out when making steel-cut oats or shredded pulled meats, especially in the hot months.
Not today though! Today Monsieur Slow Cooker #1 is assisting me in tackling a French classic, a Cassoulet.
Let me be the first one to say, I had no idea what a Cassoulet was at first. I knew it was French and I thought it was a soup of sorts. Well, let me tell you this hearty dish is much more. It is a gloriously rich stew containing sausage, white beans and veggies. Refreshingly simple, rustic and of peasant origins, this French classic was absolutely made for the slow cooker.
I’m sure hundreds of years ago French peasants thought, “let’s make a dish that can cook all day and greet us after a long day’s work.” Yep I’m sure that’s how it went. Nevertheless, I thank the French for piecing together such basic available ingredients and cooking them for hours.
Traditionally cassoulets were made with various meats. Normally with chicken, sausage, goose, duck and/or bacon. But to make it an easier healthier weeknight meal, I like using just sausage and beans. My motto is that if you use one or two natural quality ingredients, a meal will shine. No need for a long list of ingredients.
Tired of chili but need an easy hearty dish, try this Slow Cooker Sausage and White Bean Cassoulet. Creamy white beans, tasty sausage, veggies, herbs and crusty bread to mop it all up. Throw all the ingredients in the slow cooker in the morning and come home to a warm hearty meal.
Equipment
Serves 5
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup dried white beans*
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 3 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 sausages (I used chicken)
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes or crushed tomatoes
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic gloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves (dried works too)
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)*
- Salt and pepper
- Baguette
- Flat leaf parsley to garnish (optional)
- Parmigiano reggiano
Instructions
- Soak dried beans them in cold water overnight. Drain in the morning.
- In a cast iron, heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil over medium-high heat. Brown the sausages for 2-3 minutes per side. Sausages will cook through in the slow cooker. Set browned sausages aside.
- In a 6 quart slow cooker, place carrots and set the sausages on top. Cover the sausage with onion, garlic, thyme, cayenne if using, tomatoes, beans and chicken stock. Season with ½ teaspoon of salt.
- Cover slow cooker and cook until the beans are tender and creamy, on low for 7 – 8 hours or high for 4 – 5 hours.
- Serve cassoulet with thick hunks of buttered baguette and topped with Parmesan cheese and a little parsley.
Notes
I like using dried beans so you need to soak them the night before. Dried beans have no added sodium plus they are cheap! In terms of the type of bean, Northern, Navy and cannellini are all wonderful in the cassoulet. Different sausages work wonderfully in this recipe. The most tasty (and fatty) will be Italian sausage mild or spicy. If using spicy sausage, you may want to hold back on the cayenne unless you are a true spice lover. Kielbasa and bratwurst are also fine. For a healthier less fatty choice, opt for chicken sausage. You can make this a gluten-free meal by using your favorite gluten-free sausage and swapping for gluten-free bread. Don’t forget to enjoy leftovers!
Originally posted 2018-05-31 07:03:13.
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